Plans for the Future
by I'mcalledZorro
Summary: Jack forces Mac to think about what he wants to do after his tour is up. First part of the Teacher AU


_A?N: So as I have said before, I really enjoy AU's! Which got me to thinking what if James MacGyver didn't play shadow puppet master and dictate his son's life? So this story was born. I think it might be the beginning of an series (if there is enough interest) I have ideas for two more stories, so we'll see! Thanks to HelloNurse for betaing! And as always I don't own MacGyver!_

Angus MacGyver was enjoying what little downtime he had by reading one of the scientific journals that his grandpa had sent him in his care package from home. When his Overwatch, Jack Dalton, came hobbling into the tent.

"What did you do?" Mac asked worriedly, as he tossed the magazine down on his bunk to hurry over to his friend

"I hurt my big toe." Jack held up the foot in question for Mac to see. On Jack's left foot there was blood seeping from under his big toenail in two different places. There wasn't enough blood to pool onto the floor, but it was starting to run under Jack's foot in his red shower shoes.

Mac frowned at Jack and ushered him over to his bunk. "What did you do?"

Jack sighed and landed heavily on his bunk, making sure to keep all weight off his injured food. "Well, as I was walking to the showers some of the guys were playing soccer, and the ball came my way. I went to kick it, but kicked a post instead! It hurts man!" The last part came out as a whine.

Mac rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics. "Let me see what I can do. And I thought I told you to wait till you got in the shower before putting your shower shoes on." Jack started to protest, but Mac cut him off by touching the toenail which bobbed from Mac's touch.

Jack moaned, "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Really? I've seen you in much worse condition and you haven't acted like this."

"It's my toe! Mac, my toe!" Jack exclaimed as he motioned towards his toe.

Mac bit back a retort and instead told Jack "Let me grab a med-kit. Do you want some water?" Mac asked as he got up grabbing the first aid kit and Jack's canteen. Back at the bunk Mac handed his friend the water bottle and sat down on the floor where Jack's hurt foot was resting.

Opening the med-kit Mac grabbed a gauze pad, then removed Jack's shoe, and carefully cleaned the blood and touched the nail carefully, it again bobbed. "Jack you might not want to look." Jack moaned, but obediently flopped his head back against his bunk and flung his arm over his eyes. Mac carefully lifted on the nail and the entire nail besides for a little piece on the edge came up. He gently laid it back down. "Hey, Jack."

A muffled, 'yeah' was the reply.

"So your toenail Add is almost completely separated from the nail bed. You've got two options, go to medical and let them pull it, or I can pull it off."

Jack sat up to look at Mac while he carefully avoided looking at his toe. "Ain't there anything you can do? I don't wanna be nail less." He pleaded.

Mac shook his head, "Most of it's detached already anyway, it's only hanging on by two small points of contact. Sorry, Jack one way or another you're losing this toenail."

Jack groaned again and leaned back on his bunk throwing his arm once again over his face. "Awww, man!' he whined under his arm. "Fine then, go ahead and take it off."

Mac pulled his trusty Swiss Army Knife out and selected the pliers. He hesitated a second, "Jack are you sure you don't want a trained medical professional to do this?" Mac had been mostly joking when he said he could pull it off.

"Do it." Came the muffled reply. Then a second later, "No, wait stop!"

Mac froze with his pliers hovering above the afflicted toe, before lowering them, hoping that Jack had decided to go to the base medical.

Jack moved his arm, "I need you to distract me man. Talk to me about something."

Mac frowned, "What do you want me to talk to you about?"

"I don't know, hombre. What are your plans after you get out?" Jack once again threw his arm over his face.

Blowing out a deep breath Mac answered, "I don't know." He once again positioned the pliers on the nail. "I had thought about…" He chose that second to pull the nail free and ripped a scream of pain from Jack. Mac quickly placed some gauze on the bloody toe and wrapped it a couple of times with the tape from the med-kit.

"I think I'm going to be sick, or pass out, or both!" Jack moaned.

"Pick one, then let's get to medical. Hey, do you want your toenail?" Mac asked smirking.

The only answer he got was a moan. Mac chuckled as he cleaned up the supplies he had used, and threw away the now detached nail.

Jack sat up in alarm, "But I thought the whole point of this exercise was to avoid the medics!"

Mac chuckled, "Are you ready to put that foot in a boot? You know that they won't give you a pass unless you've had a medic look at it and sign off on it."

"You tricked me!" Jack accused.

"No, I just let you think that you wouldn't have to report to medical for a little bit. But look at it this way big guy, at least you won't have to have any needles stuck in your toe."

Jack shuttered at the thought. "Fine, but you're goin with me."

"With how pale you are right now, I would be a horrible friend if I let you go by yourself," Mac said as he carefully helped Jack stand.

Soon Jack was hobbling with his arm around Mac's shoulders. They traveled in silence besides for the stifled breaths Jack uttered when he had to move his right foot. "Ok, this walking in silence is killin me. So you never did answer what you wanted to do when we left the service." Mac shrugged, which with Jack's arm draped over his shoulder was harder than it should be. Jack gave Mac a sideways glance. "There must be something that you've been thinkin about. Tell Uncle Jack all about it."

"First don't call yourself Uncle Jack, it sounds creepy. Second, I haven't given it much thought." Mac didn't want to get into that can of worms with Jack right then.

"Brother, you do nothing but think! A couple of those other bomb nerds I've protected have positively chatted my ear off compared to you."

When Jack sank his teeth into something he was like a bulldog, he wouldn't let go. Shifting Jack's weight Mac sighed, he could see the medical building ahead, but it wasn't close enough to save him for Jack's interrogation, which the Taliban could take a few notes from. "One of my school teachers, Mr. Ericson, in his letters he keeps encouraging me to become a teacher."

Jack grinned, "Mr. MacGyver, it does have a certain ring to it."

Mac rolled his eyes, then nervously asked, "how about you? I know you originally planned on going back to Texas."

"Oh, I still do! Sitting on the front porch sippin sweet tea with the family. My mama's peach pie, with my grandpa's fried chicken, and the whole family runnin around whooping like Indians." Jack was grinning at his plans.

"Sounds fun." Mac murmured.

"Well, I should hope so, cause Mama's gonna give you a double servin with how skinny you are." Jack shook his head and opened the door to medical.

Mac almost tripped over his own feet, '_Jack wants me to meet his family?'_ He didn't get a chance to say any more because one of the medics came right over to evaluate Jack's problem.

A few hours later they were back in their bunk with Jack's newly wrapped toe propped up, with orders it keep it elevated for a couple of days, then to report back to get the dressing off. Since it was chow time the rest of the barracks was empty save for the two of them. Mac had grabbed them a couple of sandwiches that they were now finishing off. "Now wait till you try one of my Aunt Jill's leftover T'giving sandwiches. Just thinking about it is makein my taste buds tingle." Jack said with his mouthful of sandwich.

Mac picked at his sandwich, not saying much. Jack must have picked up on his even quieter than usual Specialist.

"What's up MacGyver? You're bein' more quiet than usual." Jack pinned him with his gaze.

Sighing Mac asked, "What are your plans after we get out?"

Jack frowned, "well I was gonna drag you back to Texas with me for some good ole fashioned fattening up with my family, then I was gonna follow you back to LA. You know the city of the angels, what's up?" Mac started to protest, but Jack held up his finger, "And don't say nuthin, 'cause I can tell somethin' eatin you." They had given Jack some painkillers, which made his Southern drawl all the more pronounced.

It never failed, just when Mac would be convinced that Jack was indeed just a loudmouth, opinionated, knuckle dragger, he would say something insightful that would show just how much Jack actually observed.

With a sigh , Mac decided to tell Jack what had been bugging him. "I've been thinking that while I would go to LA that you would probably stay in Texas. I mean you talk about your family all the time, and how much you miss them and Texas. I just…." Mac shrugged struggling to put thoughts into words.

"You done there Bud?" Jack asked softly. Mac nodded and looked up. "Listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. You are important to me. My Granny Dalton, I swear there's an imprint of her butt on a pew down at her church, anyway she told me about a couple of really strong friendships that are mentioned in the Bible. This chick's husband dies, but she loves her mother-in-law enough to tell her, 'wherever you go, I will go also' and that's how I feel. Wherever you go is where I will do, you can't shake me now, I've spent too long keeping that skinny ass alive. Plus there's that Wookie life debt!"

Mac surreptitiously rubbed his eyes, "I don't think your grandma would appreciate you quoting the Bible and saying ass in the same sentence."

Jack blew a raspberry, "Shows how little you know about Granny Dalton. You're gonna love her man. But I will warn you she will drag you to church and introduce you to what feels like the half of the town, but if you don't act up, then she feeds you food that you would swear that the angels come down and helped her make! I'm drooling just thinking about it. So teaching?"

Mac shrugged, "It's not like James Bond is recruiting."

"Well I'd look much better than both you and that British has been, I tell you they should have stuck with Pierce Brosonan. So what should I teach? "

"Clown college?" Mac offered, biting his cheek to keep from cracking up.

"You sound like an old partner I had. She was a real battle-ax. I assume that you would do something Sciency or Mathy. Maybe I could do P.E. or history! At my high school, all of the PE and history teachers were also the sports coaches, now I could rock that! Did I ever tell you that I coached my little cousins' football team?"

Mac thought for a minute, "Not that I recall."

"Well I coached my little cousin's football team, it was a disaster." Jack yawned. "Well partner, it's been a long day, we've decided our fates, and I'm missing an important piece of my body. I think it's time to hit the hay."

With a roll of his eyes, Mac said, "Night Jack."

"Night Professor."

_A/N 2: So here is where I usually shameless plug my next story, I do have my CSI/Mac story finished, I'm just waiting on my beta to tell me that she is ready to look it over. So when that happens I'll get it posted! (Hopefully this will be sooner rather later, because I've got a couple of more finished stories that I can't wait for ya'll to read! But they NEED to be betaed first!) Thanks for sticking with me ya'll rock! Remember if you want more of this little AU let me know!_


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